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posttexasstressdisorder · 1 month

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https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2024/08/15/greg-kihn/http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

Greg Kihn

"They don't write 'em like that anymore"

And they surely don't.

Greg Kihn and his band were on Beserkley Records, famous up to this point for the initial Modern Lovers album, partially produced by John Cale, the group contained David Robinson, long before he had success drumming for the Cars, and Jerry Harrison, and this was 1976, before "Talking Heads 77" with "Psycho Killer" was released.

"The Modern Lovers" was a legendary punk album when the Ramones had no sales traction, only press, and we read the press incessantly, when if you were a little left of center you could still be noticed, being off the radar screen was not anathema, never mind being lost in the sea of songs of today.

And it's not like you ever heard "The Modern Lovers" on the radio. You had to buy it to hear it. I read about the record, the band that had already broken up, so much that I finally laid down my cash.

And I was titillated and surprised.

Now when the history of punk is written, and in truth it's been written time and again, mostly by acolytes, it should be noted that the two breakthrough icons of early punk, the progenitors, were both Jewish, Joey Ramone and Jonathan Richman. And that's important, because their lyrics evidenced a Jewish sensibility, a sense of humor, the perspective of an outcast looking in. And despite being basic, the music possessed an intellectual quality absent from today's hit parade. Where you were coming from, what you were saying, were very important. As was attitude. And no one but the critics and a few insiders got it. Believe me, even with their third album and "Rockaway Beach" almost no one was listening to the Ramones, and Richman went in such a wacky direction, an acoustic folk singer rendering his tunes around the summer campfire...

But when you dropped that needle on "The Modern Lovers"...

All the ink was about "Roadrunner," the opening cut, but the essence of the album came at the end of the first side, with "Pablo Picasso."

All I can tell you is, "Pablo Picasso was never called an a**hole." "Pablo Picasso" was a secret handshake, if you knew it you were on the inside, if you didn't...you didn't have a clue.

"The Modern Lovers" was a club. And it has continued to get praise over the decades, but in truth few people know it, and they should, but it's hard to understand sans context. This was at the height of AOR, bands in spandex taking themselves seriously, meat and potatoes, and then came THIS?

I've seen Jonathan Richman many times. I thought his inclusion in "There's Something About Mary" would break him wide, but that did not happen. Just like Graham Parker in "This Is 40." However Parker had his moment, on Arista, even though the first two records on Mercury were the best.

So, why not?

Well, when you see Jonathan Richman, when you listen to the records you wonder if it's a put-on. But it now appears that this is who he really is, just like another Jewish musician, Gene Simmons. But Richman looks inward, Simmons outward. But if you want to know which way the wind blows, you'd be better off listening to Richman.

All of which hipped me to Beserkley Records.

And I went to see the Rubinoos at the Whisky.

If it was on Beserkley, there was thinking involved. Matthew "King" Kaufman wasn't only in it for the money, although you could hear the influences of Zappa in the records he released.

But no one expected Greg Kihn to be the breakthrough. For him and his band to be all over MTV. It would be like some influencer on Threads being as well-known as Taylor Swift, but unlike the stars of today, EVERYONE KNEW THE LYRICS TO JEOPARDY!

But that came later. And got a second life when Weird Al reconstructed it as "I Lost on Jeopardy," one of the pinnacles of the comedic performer's oeuvre.

And the thing about "Jeopardy" was that keyboard, a direct descendant of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." "Our love's in jeopardy, baby"

Because she's absent, can't be found in those pre-cell phone days.

Once again, today the script has been flipped. If you're a male on the hit parade you cannot show weakness, vulnerability, but that's what made these records great. Greg Kihn wasn't that far removed from you and me.

But "Jeopardy" came later, '83, before that there was "The Breakup Song."

It started with a guitar riff and sound which Bryan Adams would amplify into his breakthrough on "Run to You."

"We had broken up for good just an hour before" A straight derivation from the sixties. As typical of Beserkley records. They were referential to that era when we'd all grown up, our formative years, especially those Top Forty singles we knew by heart.

They didn't write 'em like that anymore, even in 1981, never mind today.

"We've been living together for a million years"

Unlike our parents we didn't get married, we needed no piece of paper from the upstairs choir keeping us tied and true.

And when you break up, it does feel so strange out in the atmospheres. Not sure I'd heard that word in a song before or since.

So Greg Kihn and his band were not a typical MTV breakthrough, they'd put out albums previously, unheralded and unknown. But they were in the right place at the right time, and with exposure, they made it.

And then it was over. It always is. And then what do you do?

Some go back to college, some fall into drugs, others rob 7-11's and...

Greg Kihn became a deejay. We knew this. But we didn't hear him. Because radio was local, you may not remember that when Howard Stern was syndicated across the nation that was a huge breakthrough.

And now Greg Kihn is dead. As are two other members of his band. That's what you check first these days, whether the members are even alive, never mind whether they get along and go on the road together.

Furthermore, they say Kihn had Alzheimer's. I didn't know. Maybe it was somewhere, maybe it was secret. But that long goodbye is such a bizarre way to go. You fade away and you don't radiate.

And I'm not sure Kihn's music will either. I mean it's amazing what licensing can do for you, look at "My Sharona" and "Don't Stop Believin'," placements made them legendary.

And you can read the facts in the obituaries, but they won't give you the feel.

Even at this late date, at the turn of the decade, from the seventies to the eighties, we still believed.

Music drove the culture. Forget Patti Smith, how many people listened to "The Modern Lovers" and started a band!

There was something to dig your teeth into. And it was all rooted in what had come before, rock and roll.

These songs had more than one chord, they had changes, choruses, and it was surprising that Greg Kihn was the Beserkley artist to strike lightning, but he did.

And for a while there, at the advent of the internet, everyone was around. You could look them up, eventually on Wikipedia, see where they'd been, maybe even follow them on Facebook.

But that era is ending. It's the final chapter for our heroes, and then us.

And Greg Kihn was a hero. Do you know how hard it was to get a record deal, never mind have a hit, two? Nearly impossible. People didn't sit at home with no skills and believe they'd become household names. Maybe you had fantasies, but you knew it was unrealistic.

But there were some who picked up the guitar after seeing the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan," who played in high school bands, and then stuck with it. It wasn't glamorous, they were falling behind while their brethren were building careers, never mind families, but this was the path they needed to go down, to stick to.

And the audience was ready for you. All those people who couldn't follow the artistic path, they bought records, went to the club, music was the grease our world functioned on. The most nimble and influential art form.

And sure, we can all bow our heads in prayer when an icon dies, Freddie Mercury, Bowie, Glenn Frey... But they lived above us, we couldn't reach them, they were gods.

But Greg Kihn was us just one step removed.

But it's Greg Kihn and the rest of the two hit wonders, legendary album makers, non-stars, who not only fill out the canon, but our hearts.

It's always weird when you find out about these passings. You power up your phone, you're surfing the news, or you get an e-mail, and then your entire past is laid out in front of you.

And we think back and say... They don't write 'em like that anymore.

Definitely not.

-- Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ -- Listen to the podcast: -iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj -Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp -- http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz -- If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=c2a78763bf6ad15c359742df134489f5 To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=c2a78763bf6ad15c359742df134489f5

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natty1730 · 1 year

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Playlist (Metal Family OC)

🌼Daisy Oceanos Morozov 🌼

Blue Hair ~ TV Girl

Mary On A Cross ~ Ghost

Bring Me To Life ~ Evanescence

Call Me Little Sunshine ~Ghost

Teenagers ~My Chemical Romance

Chelsea Dagger ~ The Fratellis

Dear Maria, Count Me In ~ All Time Low

Oblivion ~ Grimes

Brutal ~ Olivia Rodrigo

Ain’t It Fun ~ Paramore

Cigarette Daydream ~ Cage The Elephant

Lovesong ~The Cure

Fade Into You ~ Mazzy Star

About a Girl ~ Nirvana

Iris ~ The Goo Goo Dolls

Love Will Tear Us Apart ~ Joy Division

Just Like Heaven ~ The Cure

Summertime Sadness ~ Lana Del Rey

Brooklyn Baby ~ Lana Del Rey

West Coast ~ Lana Del Rey

Watercolor Eyes ~ Lana Del Rey

High By The Beach ~ Lana Del Rey

Blue Madonna ~ BORNS

Sweet Dreams ~ BORNS

Jealous ~ Eyedress

Want Me ~Baby Queens

Romeo and Juliet ~ The Killers

Midnight Love ~ Girl in Red

Genesis ~ Grimes

Maya the Psychic ~ Gerard Way

Women ~ Harry Styles

My Boy ~ Billie Eilish

The Less I Know The Better ~ Tame Impala

My Type ~ Saint Motel

Happier Than Ever ~ Billie Eilish

Give You Hell ~ The All-American Rejects

Cornflower Blue ~ Flower Face

We’re Not Gonna Take It ~ Twisted Sister

The Story Ain’t Over ~ Avantasis

I Wanna Rock ~ Twisted Sister

Somebody Told Me ~ Motionless In White

Rock You Like a Hurricane ~ Scorpions

You Give Love A Bad Name ~ Bon Jovi

Smells Like Teen Spirit ~ Nirvana

I Was Mad For Lovin’ You ~ KISS

It’s My Life ~ Bon Jovi

Creep ~ Radiohead

Pour Some Sugar On Me ~ Def Leppard

Boulevard of Broken Dreams ~ Green Day

Psychic Reader ~ Bad Bad Hats

BLUE ~ Troye Sivan , Alex Hope

Cardigan ~ Taylor Swift

Lovefool ~ The Cardigans

Willow ~ Taylor Swift

Pretty Girl ~ Clairo

Always Forever ~ Cults

Candy ~ Robbie Williams

Something That I Want ~ Grace Potter

Can I Call You Tonight ~Dayglow

Melting ~ Kali Uchis

Moonlight ~ Kali Uchis

See You Again ~ Tyler, The Creator & Kali Uchis

Telepatia ~ Kali Uchis

I Wish you Roses ~ Kali Uchis

La Luna Enamorada ~ Kali Uchis

First Love/Last Spring ~ Mitski

Never Felt So Alone ~ Labrinth

Blue ~ LAUNDRY DAY

Colors of the Wind ~ Judy Kuhn

Lavender Haze ~ Taylor Swift

Heather ~ Conan Gray

Something Good ~ Alt-J

She ~ Dodie

Reencuentro ~ Huara

Zamba’l Mar ~ Anida

Chitquitita ~ ABBA (Spanish Version )

Ophelia ~ The Lumineers

Selfless ~ The Strokes

Once Upon a December ~ Anastasia

J’s lullaby ~ Delaney Bailey

The Night We Met ~ Lord Huron & Phoebe Birdgers

This Side of Paradise ~ Coyote Theory

I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend ~ The Rubinoos

Teenage Dirtbag ~ Wheatus

Luna de Xelaju ~ Gaby Moreno & Oscar Isaac

All The Things She Said ~ t.A.T.u

Parents ~ YUNGBLUD

Freaks ~ Surf Curse

Not Allowed ~ TV Girl

Living Life , In The Night ~ Cheriimoya & Sierra Kidd

King For A Day~ Pierce The Veil

Flames ~ MOD SUN & Avril Lavigne

Amnesia ~ MOD SUN

Bones ~ MOD SUN

Break the Rules ~ Charli XCX

Rebel Girl ~ Bikini Kill

Nunca Es Suficiente ~ Natalia Lafourcade

Haste la Raiz

Tu Falta De Querer ~ Mon Laferte

Amarrame ~ Mon Laferte & Juanes

Amor Completo ~ Mon Laferte

The Adults Are Talking ~ The Strokes

Soledad y el Mar ~ Natalia Lafourcade & Los Macorinos

Cariño~ The Marias

Remember the Time ~ Michael Jackson

Chicago ~ Michael Jackson

P.Y.T. ~ Michael Jackson

Arabella ~ Arctic Monkeys

I Wanna Be Yours ~ Arctic Monkeys

Green Light ~ Lorde

Liability ~ Lorde

All I Wanted ~ Paramore

Misery Business ~ Paramore

Still into You ~ Paramore

Kiwi ~Harry Styles

I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE ~ Maneskin

Stargirl Interlude ~ The Weeknd & Lana del Rey

New Girl ~ Labrinth

Pumped Up Kicks ~ Foster The People

Free Spirit ~ Khalid

hate u love u ~ Olivia O’Brien

In My Dreams ~ Kali Uchis

Super Psycho Love ~ Simon Curtis (The YouTube Version)

She’s My Collar ~ Gorillaz & Kali Uchis

Cherry Flavored ~ The Neighborhood

Backyard Boy ~ Claire Rosinkranz

Dirty Little Secret ~ The All-American Rejects

Move Along ~ The All-American Rejects

Dueles ~ Jesse & Joy

Romantic Lover ~ Eyedress

September (Instrumental) ~ Sparky Deathcap

Magalenha ~ Sergio Mendes

Fanfarra - Cabua-Le-Le ~ Sergio Mendes

Mas Que Nada ~ Sergio Mendes & Brasil’66

The Girl From Ipanema ~ Astrud Gilberto

Baiana ~ Barbatuques

Me Gustas Tu ~ Manu Chao

Pais Tropical ~ Sergio Mendes & Brasil’66

Tubarao Te Amo ~ Dj LK de Escocia & Tchakabum & MC Ryan

Carta Ao Tom 74 ~ Toquinho & Vinicius de Moraes

Girl From Rio ~ Anitta

Dancando ~ Ivete Sangalo

Ai Se Eu Te Pego ~ Michel Telo

Balada ~ Gusttavo Lima

Taboo ~ Don Omar

Calm Down ~ Rema & Selena Gomez

R.I.P 2 My Youth ~ The Neighborhood

NYMPHOLOGY ~ Melanie Martinez

Smell Like Cherry ~ Alex Ves (Metal Family)

Light ~ Alex Ves (Metal Family)

Tales of a Pine ~ Alex Ves (Metal Family)

In One Ear ~ Cage The Elephant

Why ~ Sabrina Carpenter

Gold Hour~ JVKE

Billie Bossa Nova x West Coast

#dee x reader #metal family #metal family x reader #metal family fandom #metal family heavy #metal family dee #metal family glam #metal family vicky #metal family ches #metal family lif

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therecordchanger62279 · 2 months

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BEEN THERE, SAW THEM

For somebody that spent most of his working life in the retail record business, and whose passion has always been music, I was never an avid concert-goer. I never liked the long drives to and from. I hated shows where I had a seat but was forced to stand all evening because everyone else did. I hated the excess smoke - when that was still permitted. I often seemed to get seats behind someone who stood all evening, or was a head taller than me when seated. The volume was a problem, too as I suffered some hearing loss at a Springsteen concert in 1978, via some Steve Van Zandt guitar feedback that was actually painful, and caused me to cover my ears. I was in the last row of Vets Arena in Columbus, Ohio. If I'd been front row, I'd probably be deaf now. I hated the exits after the concerts, too. It took more time to leave the Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio after The Rolling Stones show I saw there in 1989 than it did to watch the show.

My aversion to concerts became legendary, and I used to get needled all the time about it by the people I worked with at record shops. Eventually, I got tired of it, and lied about attending shows I never saw (a Joe Henderson show at a high school auditorium in Lima, Ohio, and a Neil Young show with Sonic Youth opening on the Ragged Glory tour - in Cincinnati, if memory serves). I saw my last live show in 2014. I wouldn't even remember that date except that I had a notion of trying to compile a master list of every concert I've seen since my first one in August of 1975. By my count, and to the best of my recollection, I saw more than 40 concerts over a 39 year span. That's one concert a year. And given that I grew up in a small town where nobody ever played, and never lived anywhere bigger than Toledo or Dayton, Ohio, I don't think that's too bad.

I could've been to many, many more. For years I had access to free concert tickets through my record retailing connections, but since the people who worked for me made less money, and were more into live shows than I was, I used up my favors to score tickets for them when I could. I was content to buy live albums, and experience the shows from the comfort of my recliner.

In any case, I've compiled the complete list - at least everything I can remember - including the opening act(s) if there were any. If there was something worth noting about the show, I've made comments after the entry.

Beach Boys / Ambrosia. 8/21/75 Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio. My first concert. We had floor tickets, so I stood the entire time. Great sets from both bands, but this was still before Brian Wilson had rejoined for live shows. That was my only real disappointment.

Buddy Rich Orchestra. Lima Senior High Auditorium, Lima, Ohio 1977. I went with my mother. I was still living at home, going to college, and just beginning to really explore Jazz. I knew Rich from The Tonight Show. It was a terrific experience.

Bruce Springsteen. Vets, Columbus, Ohio 9/5/78. The night of the hearing loss. But it's still one of the three or four best shows I ever saw. I also saw him in Cincinnati, Ohio at Riverfront Coliseum in July '84 on the Born In The U.S.A. tour. Still great, but not on a level with that '78 show.

Bob Dylan. Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio 10/22/78. Also Riverbend Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio 8/10/89, Hara Arena 11/2/2002, and Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio 8/5/11. The '78 show was mindblowing. The '89 show was one of those nights when the sound was bad, and you couldn't recognize the songs unless you happened to catch a familiar lyric. Awful. The last two were quite good, though.

Elvis Costello / The Rubinoos. The Agora, Columbus, Ohio 3/15/79. The Rubinoos were great. Costello wasn't. He played all of 45 minutes. Left without ever saying a word to the audience. No encore - not that anyone minded. Later that night, he and his band got into an altercation with Stephen Stills and his band at a Holiday Inn Bar in Columbus that made national headlines when Costello uttered a racial slur at Ray Charles. I was a huge Costello fan before the show, but after - not so much. I swore I'd never see him live again, and I never did.

Crosby, Stills & Nash. Toledo, Ohio 11/9/82. I was nervous about this one because I knew they had a reputation for sometimes being awful in concert. We got lucky. They were incredible. They were so good that Nash even made a comment about it from the stage. One of the best live performances I've ever seen.

Weather Report. Ann Arbor, Michigan 1983. Some other managers at the mall where I worked in Toledo took me to this. I loved the band, and I've been forever grateful to them for inviting me.

Yes. Indianapolis, 4/12/84. I went with some people I worked with. I drove. This was the 90125 tour. The show was fantastic. But one of my pals knew the band. She co-published the Relayer fanzine, and had actually interviewed band members. She took us to the backstage area afterwards promising to get us in to meet the band. But the bouncers gave her, and another female co-worker access, but denied me, and two of my male friends. We were waiting around for them to come out when some bouncers approached us, and told us to leave. We told them our friends were inside, but they couldn't have cared less, and threatened to remove us bodily if we didn't leave. So, we went to the car where we sat for more than two hours waiting for our pals to return. When they finally did, they breathlessly told us they'd been invited to join them at a party at the hotel. They claimed again that they would get us in. But I was skeptical for obvious reasons. Besides, it was now past 1 a.m., and we still had a 90 minute drive home, and I was opening the store in the morning. We argued for probably 20 minutes, and put it to a vote. It was two in favor, and two against, and one abstention. But it was my car. So we left. I was very unpopular for a long time after that (actually, I've never been very popular anyway), but given the same circumstances at another time, I'd have done the same thing. Fortunately the Yes show I saw at Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio 5/4/91 was a better show, and a far better experience.

Pat Metheny Group. Memorial Hall, Dayton, Ohio 7/18/85. Ohio Theatre, Columbus Ohio 11/22/87. One of only a few acts I've seen more than once. Fantastic - both shows.

Stevie Ray Vaughan / Johnny Copeland. Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio 1985. Incredible show.

Pretenders / Iggy Pop. Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio 3/24/87. Great show all around.

Billy Idol / The Cult. Hara Arena, Dayton, Ohio 4/21/87. I could only score one ticket to see this show. I only wanted to see The Cult, and one of my co-workers was dying to see Billy Idol. He was closing the store that night just up the street from the venue. Since The Cult opened, I went to see them, and during intermission, I went back to the store, gave my ticket stub to my buddy, closed the store for him, and told him to go to the venue, and pretend he'd gone outside during intermission for a smoke. He presented my stub, and got in to see Billy idol. Win win!

Heart. Riverbend Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio 7/87. Courtesy a Capitol Records rep, and it included a ride in a Steamboat down the Ohio river to the venue. Heart was great!

R.E.M. / 10,000 Maniacs. Vets, Columbus, Ohio 10/24/87. Really fine show. I went with a co-worker and her boyfriend. He drove, and had one hand on the wheel, and with the other changed the radio stations constantly all the way there and back. He was wound far too tight for my liking.

Pink Floyd. Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 5/28/88. History says this was the first ever concert at the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. What I remember was the spectacle itself. It was the first big budget production I'd ever seen, and it was something extraordinary.

Dio / Megadeth / Savatage. Hara Arena 8/2/88. I was dragged kicking and screaming to this show. I liked Dio's records, but I had no desire to see him or the openers at all. But I gave in. Savatage and Megadeth were so loud, I stayed in the lobby and girl-watched. Dio, I'll admit was really great.

The Rolling Stones. Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio 9/14/89. The Steel Wheels Tour. My only Stones show, but it was incredible. I watched Charlie most of the night, and Ronnie played his ass off.

Tina Turner. Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio 8/25/90. She was everything you'd expect of a living legend.

Gordon Lightfoot. Memorial Hall, Dayton, Ohio 4/91. Lightfoot and his band were terrific, but we had balcony seats, and the chairs were the smallest, hardest, and most uncomfortable I've ever experienced. I remember getting up three or four times during the show, and standing in the aisle to alleviate the discomfort.

Don Henley / Susanna Hoffs. Riverbend Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio. 7/23/91. The Columbia rep knew what a huge Hoffs fan I was, so he provided the ticket. We had a meet and greet with Hoffs after, and I got autographs, and a picture someone else took for me that I never received. Hoffs killed, and Henley was good, too.

Neil Young. Nutter Center, Fairborn, Ohio 9/11/92. Completely solo show, and a great one from start to finish.

Roseanne Cash / Lyle Lovett. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio 1994 (I believe). Couldn't track down the exact date for this, or find my ticket stub. But I recall it was when Lovett was having a romance, and short marriage to Julia Roberts, and he was in the news so much he'd decided to have some fun with it. So he had a roadie put a wig and a dress on to introduce him each night. When the roadie walked out, he was indeed mistaken for Julia Roberts. The gasps, and whispers were quickly drowned out by laughter when we realized the ruse. Great night all around.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio 8/30/95. A dream come true for me. They were great. It was the only time I got to see them.

James Taylor. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio 7/9/97. Another artist who lived up to his legend.

Guided By Voices. Gilly's, Dayton, Ohio 1/99. There was GBV fever at the shop I worked in at the time. I thought the show was good musically, but Bob Pollard's constant beer swilling throughout the set got on my nerves after awhile, and my wife was none too fond of that performance either. We left early, and I never again listened much to them. In fact, a couple of years later, I sold all my albums, and 45s of the band to a shop, and kept only a couple of homemade cassettes.

Black Sabbath / Pantera / The Deftones. Nutter Center, Fairborn, Ohio. 2/99. There's an account of this rather memorable night on this very blog under the title Me and Dime (May '23). I even submitted an account of the show to Record Collector for their 'Memorable Concert' feature from fans that runs in their letters section. They never responded to the submission, and to date, have never published it. That's why I have a blog.

B.B. King / Boz Scaggs / Bobby "Blue" Bland. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio, 6/19/99. Three legends for one price. Great, great night.

Emmylou Harris / Shawn Colvin. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio 8/25/01. We sat outside in a torrential downpour all evening. But Emmylou and Shawn were so good, we didn't care.

Black Crowes / Beachwood Sparks. Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio 10/10/01. Just a month after 9/11 which Chris Robinson referenced from the stage. Very good night, and seeing Beachwood Sparks was a bonus for me. I was one of the few in the crowd who knew them, and had their record at the time.

Sheryl Crow. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio 7/03. I had wanted to see this, but it sold out so fast I couldn't get a ticket - until a customer walked into the shop that afternoon and offered the ticket to any of us who wanted to go. I snatched it up, and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you want to see it, too, the entire thing was filmed, and released on a DVD titled C'mon America.

Leon Russell. Gilly's, Dayton, Ohio 1/3/2004. Leon completely solo at a bank of keyboards in a small club. Much as I'd liked to have seen him with his big band in the 1970s during his heyday, there was some magic on this night that I'll never forget.

Rock 'N' Blues Fest with Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, and Kim Simonds of Savoy Brown. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio. 2012. My disappointment at hearing that the great Leslie West had to drop out due to health issues at the last minute was somewhat mitigated by the opportunity to see the others. I'd been a fan of each since the 1970s. Edgar stole the show. But it was poignant seeing Johnny since he passed away less than 2 years later. And Rick and Kim still had it all these years later.

Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, Ohio. 7/14. To date, this was my last concert, and I don't expect there will be any more - unless someone wants to provide a free ticket and transportation to see Yuja Wang, or Taylor Swift somewhere. I'd leave the recliner to see either. Everyone else has passed away or retired, or isn't worth seeing at this late date. So, after 40 years, I finally saw a Beatle live, and the bonus for me was also finally getting to see another legend - Todd Rundgren. Ringo does not disappoint. A good one to go out on.

Appendix (courtesy my wife): When you're married, sometimes you make sacrifices. My wife wanted to see Neil Diamond at Nutter center in Fairborn in November of 2001. I accompanied her because I'll confess an affection for his early hits - several of which he played, and played well. My wife also wanted to see John Tesh - twice. We went - twice. It was sometime in the 90s. I wasn't a fan of his music, but the shows were professional, and the crowd, and my wife very much enjoyed them. And, finally, she wanted me to take her to see Josh Groban, again at The Fraze in Kettering, Ohio. The date is foggy, but it was sometime between 2005 and 2010. And though I am not a fan of his music, the show was impressive, and there's no denying he has one of the great voices in recent pop history. He's also a very engaging, and likable sort who is great with audiences.

Appendix II (courtesy my wife): She also tells me I bought tickets and took her to a Jim Brickman concert (New Age pianist who recorded for the Windham Hill label) at Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio some time in the early 90s. I have almost no recollection of any of it, although it seems like something I would've done, and I do remember she had a couple of his CDs.

#live concerts

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